A bout of winter hit Calgary, leaving police and road crews to deal with a significant amount of crashes due to poor weather conditions on Monday. Between midnight and midnight, Calgary police responded to 496 crashes. Thirty-four of those incidents involved injuries. Seventy-six were hit-and-runs. As of 3 p.m., the city’s snow plan was activated, with crews working to clear Priority 1 roads such as Crowchild and Glenmore trails. “Once the snowfall stops, our target is to have Priority 1 cleared within 18 hours. I would anticipate that happens more quickly on this event,” said Chris Hewitt, City of Calgary mobility maintenance manager.” “We’re also doing the pedestrian network, pathways, sidewalks and the cycle facilities, and we look to have those cleared within 24 hours of the snow stopping.” A city bus and an SUV collided on Temple Drive and 52nd Street N.W. around 7 p.m. on Monday One person in the SUV was transported to hospital by EMS as a precaution. Airport traffic affected The winter weather isn’t just affecting commuters in Calgary either. Officials at the Calgary International Airport said they had to pause all flight arrivals and departures on Monday morning because of the accumulation and “changing airfield conditions.” “This measure allows our crews to clear runways and taxiways to maintain safe operations, and our team is working diligently to restore normal operations as quickly and safely as possible,” the airport said in a statement. “We appreciate travellers’ patience and encourage everyone to check directly with their airline for the most up-to-date flight information.” The closure was lifted at 9 a.m. WestJet cancelled 38 flights due to weather while diverting and delaying others. Susan MacKenzie was heading out to Victoria, but her flight was cancelled. “We booked a hotel, so that’s an inconvenience, another expense,” said MacKenzie. Snow-route parking ban No formal snow-route parking ban has been declared yet. But with accumulating snow and slippery road conditions, city officials are closely monitoring the situation. If conditions worsen, bans of up to 72 hours could be implemented, especially on major snow routes marked by “snowflake” signs. In accordance with city bylaws, sidewalks need to be cleared 24 hours after the snowfall ends.
